Making an Impression
by Cloverfield
Summary: Upon their return to Nihon, Fai is presented to court for the first time, where he makes a surprising request. Post Series. Oneshot. KuroFai.


**DISCLAIMER:** Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, its ninja, mages, clones and their insanely detailed clothes are, as always, the pretty pretty dress-up dolls of CLAMP.

**PREFACE: **So I wrote this a while ago, and only just got around to posting it here. At any rate, there was this doujin I read once, with an extremely funny throwaway line- and somehow I turned it into this sneaky sap-fest. This was an attempt to write crack; somehow it ended up mildly serious. Still not sure how that happened.

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**Making an Impression**

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Of all of the things Kurogane missed about Nihon, the pomp and ceremony of the royal court at Shirasagi was not one of them. Hours of longwinded speeches, bowing and kneeling, annoying ritual greetings and ceremonial traditions as the empress presided over ranked and formally-robed nobles was not his ideal way to begin his return home, not after spending five or so years traipsing the universe with a brat, an air-headed mage and a bouncing pork bun. Hell, he was pretty sure he didn't even remember the Five Dedications or the Imploration of The Castle Spirits anymore; too many new things learnt and new sights seen to recall the trappings of nobility that had never really been his in the first place.

Of course, today's ceremony wasn't really about the return of the son of the deceased Lord of Suwa from his long exodus, or even the Princess Tomoyo's bloodthirsty bodyguard from his exile; Kurogane knew better to assume that the gossip that whispered along the halls and the curious eyes that hid behind fluttering fans were focused on him, even if Tomoyo had trussed him up in full formal regalia, layers of black silk kimono and stiff folded hakama that made him feel awkward and overdressed the way his travelling clothes never had.

No, today was all about _Fai_.

Sometimes it was hard to remember his lover was, technically, royalty. The Fai _he_ knew -with a sly, laughing mouth and a tendency to meow when he was drunk, who teased the kid mercilessly about his love for Sakura and fought in a whirlwind of claws and grace whenever they found themselves in danger; the Fai who skipped and sang and whistled out of tune (except when he _didn't_, and magic swirled about them in ringing, piercing notes that shuddered in their bones and made the hair on the back of Kurogane's neck stand up) and danced with the pork bun at inappropriate moments, and whose smile was no longer a paper-thin mask for despair so deep it verged on madness; that Fai, who watched him with eyes that were cat-slit and gilded with hunger sometimes and blue enough to rival the summer sky at others, who drank his blood and shared his bed and had helped him learn how to use his strength to protect those he cared for- was so far removed from the starved princeling Yuui he'd seen in the shattered memories that Ashura had thrown at him like shards of glass that most days Kurogane barely remembered that the lackadaisical moron that hung from his neck and made kissing faces at him just to watch Syaoran flush was a prince of two worlds and every inch as royal as the Princess Tomoyo herself.

Not so today.

"_The Court of Shirasagi Castle and Her Imperial Majesty, Empress of the Lands of Nihon as decreed by Divine Will and Sacred Duty, Amaterasu the Light of Heaven, welcomes His Royal Highness, Prince of Valeria, Wizard of Celes, Fai D. Fluorite to her home. May the Gods bless and keep you."_

The royal announcer rattled his ceremonial staff twice, pounded it against the floorboards twice more and beckoned Fai forward. Kurogane watched, head-bowed and kneeling in front of the dais, as his lover drew himself upright gracefully, the blue and white fur-trimmed coat that puddled in soft folds around his slender body whispering over polished wood as he walked forwards, head upright and with a regal bearing the empress herself might envy. Fai had bargained away the memory of a Valerian nursery rhyme for the fabric to make the coat and the accompanying Valerian royal garb, patterned from the recollection of his distant past; the mage had sung softly into a crystal bell and handed it to Watanuki himself as a price the last time they had visited the Shop of Dimensions, and had spent long nights by lamplight in the few worlds since embroidering it with a needle and thread that glowed as vibrantly as his magic did.

"If I am going to be presented at your court, Kuro-sama, then I'm going to make an impression," Fai had said, late at night in their rooms in Clow, the light from the lantern flowing over his soft hair like honey and casting gold sparks in blue eyes as he stitched silken swirls across the snowy expanse of fabric. "I am not a pauper come to beg for shelter; if I take my place in your life, _which I will_, then it will be a place of my own making, and not an act of charity."

He'd finished the clothes not a day before they'd departed Clow for the last time, bidding their final farewells to the kids (all four of them, Syaoran and Sakura and their clones or parents or whatever they were, all of their "children" together once more) Fai's magic taking them from the desert world in a swirl of wind and dust and whisking them both through the dimensions to crash-land unceremoniously on Tomoyo's bedroom floor in the middle of the night. Once the guards had calmed down about intruders in the princess's quarters (that is, once Kurogane had thumped them all and thrown them off the balcony and into the sacred pond for daring to think they could take him in combat and Fai and Tomoyo had giggled together at the sight like the co-conspirators they rapidly proved themselves to be) they'd been given a week to prepare for the official presentation of the mage to Shirasagi's court at the upcoming solstice. Which was now.

"You are welcome here, Fai D. Fluorite," the empress was saying, Kendappa's battle-trained voice ringing clear and brassy over the sudden hush of the court. "We recognise your service and companionship to one of our own, and your efforts in saving us all from the chaos the Tsukuyomi, our sister, foresaw would take place due to the machinations of one Fei Wang Reed in worlds distant from our own. In our gratitude, we offer you a place at court, and a position as Imperial Mage, in assisting the Princess Tomoyo in her protection of the Imperial lands from malignant forces through the use of your considerable power."

A riot of whispering broke over the crowd, rolling like waves as the nobles and their servants, priests and priestesses, magicians and warriors all dissolved into a rush of gossip; only the ninja arranged in silent, dark-clad rows in the eaves of the throne room were silent. Not many knew what the empress had meant by the chaos the Tsukuyomi had foreseen, but the rumours of Fai's power had spread like ripples in a pond from the moment he arrived, and for the empress to afford a foreign-born mage a position of respect in the court was a significant event indeed.

"I am humbled that Your Imperial Majesty would afford me such an honour, and gratefully accept." Fai, speaking in fluent Nihongo with barely a trace of an accent, bowed low- but not nearly as low as the court audience obviously expected, and blue eyes stayed fixed on the dais the whole time, provoking another wave of hushed whispers. "I pledge myself and my magic to serve and protect the Tsukuyomi and the Imperial lands, so I swear by the Gods of my homeland and the Gods that rule over Nihon…"

Kurogane let the words of Fai's vow - complex and memorised and practised unrelentingly over the course of the past few days in preparation for this moment- wash over him distractedly. None of this was a surprise, not the welcome, or the position; he'd been present for the lengthy discussion between Kendappa and Fai that had taken place over a midnight dinner the night they arrived, and though most of the conversation had apparently taken place in a haze of alcohol (The Imperial Empress, Light of Heaven, Divine Amaterasu herself could down jugs of sake like no-one's business when the mood took her), she hadn't been lying when she'd offered Fai the opportunity.

Feeling his eyes begin to glaze over as Fai reached the final five verses of his pledge, Kurogane risked a furtive glance to Tomoyo, seated on a smaller throne near the empress herself, and watching over the proceedings with a sweetly serene smile. As composed and as calm as his princess appeared, her dark eyes glittered with mischief, and that alone was enough to give Kurogane the chills. Tomoyo only had that particular twinkle when she was planning something truly wicked, like having Souma coat the palace roof with slippery oil and saw through half the support beams ("To keep you on your toes, Kurogane- you need your exercise!") or stealing all his clothes and replacing them with designs of her own making ("You need a new wardrobe, Kurogane, black is such a drab colour!"), and he had his suspicions something was up with her, even as she flicked out her fan and waved it gently in front of her face, no doubt to hide her evil smile from plain sight. She hadn't played a single prank on him in the week since he had arrived and that was a bad sign all on its own.

But Fai's pledge was drawing to a close now, reaching the final few lines where he swore allegiance to the throne of Nihon, and Kurogane pushed aside his suspicions for the pride that glowed in his chest. Gone was the liar-mage, the coward he'd sworn he hated back in Outo, the icy-eyed vampire of Infinity or even the broken and betrayed wizard of Celes; his lover stood before the court, straight and tall, scarred but whole with nothing but confidence in his voice as his words rang loud and clear, and Kurogane felt a thrill of possessiveness run through him at the sight.

He was home, _finally_, after so long- and Fai was with him. As soon as this damn ceremony was over and they got some time to themselves, he'd make sure Fai knew _exactly_how he felt about the mage finding a place in his homeland.

"…as long as there is breath in my lungs and blood in my veins, by the grace of the Gods, I hold these vows to be true." With these last words Fai straightened, pale hair lit with a halo of sunlight from the wide windows that poured light into the room, and bowed once more to the empress, this time as an honoured vassal rather than of a visiting dignitary, and a roar of applause broke out amongst the court as Kendappa inclined her head in acceptance.

Kurogane felt rather than saw the soft smile on Fai's face as he bowed again, to Tomoyo this time, but his pride was quickly overcome by something like foreboding as the empress abruptly stood, her golden robes pooling around her as she held up a hand for quiet.

Still kneeling, Kurogane could do nothing but hold his place even as the crowd fell silent. What the hell was going on?

The empress, her hand still raised, spoke, her gaze passing over the gathered nobles. "As is tradition, we hereby offer the Mage Fluorite one boon, to be granted as a gesture of our acceptance and affection, and to welcome him into our service." Tomoyo, from her seat by her sister, smiled widely at Fai over the edge of her fan, and Kurogane felt his hackles settle somewhat. That was standard procedure for anyone taken into service, though normally they had to do something to prove they deserved it first. Kendappa continued, apparently unaware of the tide of hushed gossip her words caused. "If there is anything in our power to grant you, it is yours." Knowing his princess, she had already organised this before hand, Fai would probably ask for some sort of glittery token gift, the official part of the ceremony would be over, and Kurogane could finally get up off his knees.

So it was a bit of surprise when Fai's arm swung around, quick as a snake and pointed one finger at Kurogane himself. "Him, Your Imperial Majesty. I want him." He could only see a flash of Fai's face from this angle, the mage not looking at him, but he felt it when Fai smiled, sharp and dangerous, and a shocked gasp echoed from the crowd.

"Eh?" Kurogane blinked. Fai had asked for…him? He couldn't have heard that right!

But apparently he _had_, because Tomoyo was beaming at him, and Fai was still talking. "If I can truly have anything that Your Imperial Majesty has the power to grant me, then I ask for him." Fai's back was still turned against him, the mage facing towards the empress as he repeated his request, but that slender hand was still pointed firmly in his direction, long sleeve draping from his wrist in an elegant fall of fur-trimmed cloth.

Kendappa, curse her, was actually taking Fai's petition seriously, her expression stern as she looked down upon the mage and the gathered audience- but even from here Kurogane could see the cunning glitter in her eyes and her next words provoked a wave of quickly-stifled laughter from the crowd. "Kurogane? You ask for him, Mage Fluorite? …_Really?_" A pause then as Fai nodded once, and the empress seemed to consider her next words carefully. "You are sure? You only get one boon; we cannot offer you another if your choice disagrees with you."

This time, Fai's voice held nothing but surety. "Yes, Your Imperial Majesty. I have made my choice a long time ago."

Feeling vaguely like he was being bartered away like livestock at a market, Kurogane rose to his feet; the announcer called out to him but was ignored. "Hang on. You can't just-" he began, but was smoothly overrun by Kendappa, who simply talked over the top of him.

"Actually, we can, Kurogane. We are, after all, the Imperial Empress, the Light of Heaven, and the ruler of these lands of Nihon by Gods-granted divine right; if we wish to hand you over to the Mage Fluorite as per his request, we may do so without your permission. You are, after all, merely a warrior in our service- a skilled one to be sure, and the most dedicated to the protection of the Princess Tomoyo that we have ever seen, but as you recall, you renounced your claim on the lands of Suwa the moment you arrived in Shirasagi and so too your noble title." Which was true, all of it; he had no wish to reclaim the title that had died with his father, the lands that had died with his people… Still, it was another thing entirely to have your declaration thrown back in your face. Kurogane felt his teeth start to grind as she regarded him intently. "Though strictly speaking, you are technically property of our sister… Tsukuyomi? He is your favourite, as the court well knows. We would have your thoughts on this matter."

Tomoyo, waving her fan lazily in front of her face, snapped it shut with an audible _click_. "My dear sister… Kurogane has been in my service for many years, and I can say without a doubt," Tomoyo paused for dramatic effect, here and the cheeky wink she gave him did nothing whatsoever to calm Kurogane's fears, "that he is a bloodthirsty brute who I sent away for good reason."

"Hey!" Unable to stop himself, Kurogane flushed as his protest was met with a roar of laughter from the gathered audience, the empress herself stifling something suspiciously like a giggle behind the embroidered drapery of one long sleeve. This was ridiculous; he was not something to be bought and sold, regardless of what Kendappa said and, and- Fai was _still_not looking at him, dammit!

In fact, the mage, standing a few steps in front of him, back straight and shoulders back, seemed damn tense- far too tense for someone who was arguably getting exactly what he asked for. Ignoring the protests of the announcer and the indignant rattles of his staff of position, Kurogane moved forward, meaning to grab Fai and ask him what the hell was going on- but was interrupted when Kendappa called for order amongst the gossiping crowd.

Once the noise had died down, his princess continued. "However," said Tomoyo, and giggled, the clear tone of her laughter echoing bright and happy throughout the throne room, "he has always served me faithfully, and upon his triumphant return from his journey I am pleased to have him back." That was a bit more like it; Kurogane felt some of his unease dissipate at the declaration that his princess still wanted him in her service. His relief was short-lived, however, as Tomoyo continued. "That said, as long as it does not interfere with his position as bodyguard, I see no problem with him being handed over to our newest Imperial Mage."

Kurogane felt his jaw drop. What?

Tomoyo beamed at him, her declaration met by thunderous applause and a sigh from the mage, who slumped visibly where he stood. "He's all yours, Fai!"

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Kurogane didn't get his chance to confront the presumptive bastard until well into the evening. Following the immediate rush of noise spurred by Tomoyo's declaration, the empress called for order, disbanded the official ceremony and had him whisked out of the court along with the rest of the gathered nobles and dignitaries. Ignoring the gossip that trailed after him like storm clouds, Kurogane had stomped away to his quarters in the castle, pointedly ignoring the scattered ninja following him on Kendappa's bidding; if they weren't good enough to remain unnoticed, then they didn't deserve to be acknowledged in the first place.

After changing from his formal kimono into something more comfortable, Kurogane spent a fruitless few hours pacing back and forth, waiting for the mage, for Fai to return- but as day blurred into afternoon and afternoon marched steadily towards night, there was no sign of blue eyes or blonde hair. Finally reaching the conclusion that if he wanted to confront his lover about what the hell he had meant by that scene at court he was going to have to find him first, he slammed open the sliding doors to his room, frightening the apprentice ninja waiting outside into dropping from their perches in the roof beams with an almighty series of _thumps_.

One actually attempted to stop him from leaving, claiming something about it "the empress wishes you to remain in your quarters until further notice", much to Kurogane's disgust; bravery was all well and good a quality to attempt to instil in the castle ninja, but utter stupidity wasn't, and he felt entirely justified in throwing him through the paper panels of an adjoining room's shoji. Souma obviously needed to refine her qualification criteria for picking new recruits if they were dumb enough to try and keep him from roaming about the castle.

He eventually found Fai on the other side of the palace; he was leaving Tomoyo's quarters, and apparently had been given the opportunity to change his outfit- Kurogane froze mid step at the sight of the mage stepping gracefully from the alcove in front of the princess's rooms, now draped in a blue kimono the same shade as his eyes, pale hair falling over his shoulder in a thin tail tied off with a red ribbon (the same red ribbon he'd first worn here, the same red ribbon he'd worn every day since, frayed and a little faded, but all the more significant for that) and for a moment his heart thudded in his chest and he forgot why he was pissed at Fai in the first place.

At least until the mage's words rang in his ears again, claiming him like some piece of property, like some _reward_to be given- and anger washed over him once more.

"You," snapped Kurogane, as Fai drew closer; the mage had to have heard him, they were the only ones in the hallway, and he knew for a _fact_Fai could sense where he was at any distance from the blood bond that stretched between them still so that his lover flinched and refused to look up at him, keeping his eyes averted and his expression unseen just fanned his temper further. Fai wasn't stupid enough to try and stop him when he closed his hand about a thin wrist and dragged him into a nearby room, however, following along with no resistance- and somehow that just made him angrier, knowing that Fai could flatten him against the wall with one blast of magic or slit his throat with a flick of razor-tipped claws and was just following along passively behind him.

Pushing the mage indoors and slamming the doors shut behind him (a futile gesture in a castle full of ninja, but the pretence of privacy was a small comfort), Kurogane stood before the mage in the centre of the empty room, towering over the lithe figure in a way he rarely saw need to these days. His head was full of noise, roaring in his ears and thundering in his chest as his heart thumped painfully against his ribs, but the only word he could bring himself to speak was "Why?"

He didn't mean for it to come out like it did, scraped through his gritted teeth and almost raw, but he could hardly help it; he didn't _understand_why Fai had done this, demanded him in front of the whole court, stripping him of his assurance that he could and would make his own decisions- by claiming him as a boon gifted by the empress, Fai had essentially reduced him to a pawn to be passed about from owner to owner, and that smacked far too close of the fate he'd narrowly escaped when Suwa had burned when til now he'd always viewed them as equals.

"Why?" he asked again, snatching up Fai's forearm, cool silk slippery beneath his fingertips as he shook the mage, his grip bruising tight. "Why?"

When finally, _finally_ Fai snapped his head up towards him, the soft look on the mage's face shocked the breath from his lungs. "Because the whole court -no, the whole of _Nihon_- should know who claims you, who declares you as theirs. And I do," and Fai's eyes _burned_ as he looked up at him, teeth bared in almost a snarl, "you are _mine_, mine and mine alone, and _I don't care_if I broke tradition by asking for what already belonged to me, because I will not let you be taken away."

Kurogane felt his grip loosen a little, his hand slipping down Fai's arm to bracelet his fingers around a narrow, fine-boned wrist. Fai's pulse beat steadily beneath the rough skin of his fingertips. He couldn't understand where all this was coming from; as far as he knew, all the conflict between them had been resolved years ago, and the mage had seemed nothing but confident with his place in Kurogane's life (by his side, in his bed, back to back with him in battle), and seemed content with the position his empress had given him- to see this uncertainty in blue when he'd thought his lover sure of himself made his stomach turn uneasily.

"What brought this on? Where is this coming from, mage?" Fai looked away again, and it was the tension that strung tight between his shoulders more than his carefully blank face that spoke of his unease.

"Kuro-sama is home now after so long," murmured the mage, all the fire gone from him. "He has his castle, he has his princess; he doesn't need me-"

Incensed, Kurogane brought his mechanical arm -wrapped in flesh-toner and fake skin, but still metal at the bones- crashing down on the top of his idiot mage's head, provoking a flinch and a hissed curse as the blow made Fai stagger- but Kurogane's fingers were still tight about his wrist and he wasn't going anywhere.

"_Idiot_," growled Kurogane, yanking him close; Fai all but bounced off him, one hand splaying over his chest as the mage fought to steady himself. "You haven't been here a full seven days yet and already you doubt yourself." His mechanical arm slid down to cup Fai's face, forcing him to look upward as his metal fingers curled about Fai's chin. He couldn't feel the racing pulse throbbing against the palm of his hand, but he knew it was there, and Kurogane had to wonder what his face looked like as he dipped his head to seal his mouth to Fai's own, breathing a last, affectionate "idiot," against soft lips.

The kiss went on for a long while, Fai melting against him, warm and solid and _his_; and when the thin hand splayed against his chest clutched tight at the folds of his clothing, Fai using the leverage to pull himself upwards and deepen the point of contact, Kurogane felt the worry that had built up since the day began start to fade away as his lover's mouth moved steadily against his own. His real hand slid from Fai's wrist to press against his palm; Fai shivered as Kurogane's fingers threaded through his.

Only Fai. Only Fai could turn claiming Kurogane as his property in the middle of court, in front of the empress herself and all of the nobles and ninja and every single other person that called Shirasagi home and visitors from many other provinces besides, _only Fai_ could turn such an arrogant declaration into a plea for reassurance (that he was still wanted; that he was still_loved_), and more fool him for not realising it sooner.

Eventually, though, the kiss slowed and finally ended, Fai leaning against him and turning his face into the slope of Kurogane's throat, resting his forehead against the place where Kurogane's pulse beat beneath his skin; the gesture was a familiar one, and Kurogane felt a sigh leave him as Fai's hand slid slowly from the folds of his clothes and wrapped about his waist.

"You're still an idiot."

"I know," said Fai softly, lips moving gently against his skin and provoking a shiver, "but Kuro-sama is still mine, stupid as I am." The sentence was phrased as a question, and Kurogane felt a brief spike of irritation. He hadn't denied it, had he? But maybe Fai, idiotic as he was, needed a more obvious sign to get through his thick skull.

"Mage," said Kurogane, letting his mechanical hand drift to Fai's hair, tugging the ribbon loose; Fai blinked up at him, startled, as his hair spilt in pale tresses over his shoulders, and something shocked and desperately hopeful flashed over familiar features as Kurogane wrapped the thin, scarlet scrap of silk around their tangled hands. The meaning wasn't lost on his mage, and Fai's face lit up even as blue eyes burned up at him (possessive and hot and beautiful) once more. "When did I say I wasn't?"

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**ENDNOTE:** I honestly don't know what happened to make me write something so schmoopy (blatant lies; I write schmoop all the time) but much love goes to the lovely ladies on DW for encouraging me shamelessly and letting me bounce ideas off them.

Thoughts? I would like to hear them! :D


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